Distance: 27.4km (94.8km), time spent: 10:50 (34:23).
Ascent / descent: 727m (3051m) / 621m (2742m).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 1192m / 1297m / 1401m.
Weather: Alternating between overcast and some blue sky, some rain, deluge in the evening.
Have to say that the breakfast at Litlos tastes better than the crispbread that I have 'enjoyed' as breakfast in my tent, the only danger is that you may eat too much and end up with a too full stomach to bear continue walking. When I finished eating lunch yesterday, I saw that I had probably been too gready with the food, I will go empty of food for breakfast and lunch. After our very small complaint about not being able to buy provisions at the staffed cabins, it turns out that the staff at Litlos may be able to help us out. They have a bag full of food that has been left behind by previous hikers, which I and another couple can choose from. A lot of outdated food, though you do not need to fear the best before date, but 2003 I feel is a little bit too long ago. Even for dry food. I go for a pack of spaghetti, which will help me a lot.
Leaving Litlos, looking back, one of the nicest DNT-cabins on Hardangervidda.
The plan for this day is the same as for two days ago, I will walk to Sandhaug (the next cabin on Massiv if you go northbound) and will take a longer break there before continue walking to find me a place to camp. At Sandhaug you enter the eastern part of Hardangervidda. It is a little bit of a miserable weather outside, so I am more unsure of what it will bring today, but it soon becomes considerable prettier as soon as I have started walking.
A gray, pale and veiled weather above Litlos, here below Holken looking towards Grytehorgi, the trail turns left before the top.
If you have followed my posts from this walk, you may have noticed that I often highlight walking in a desolate landscape, and it is correct, I do enjoy myself in such sceneries. Just me walking alone in a desolate wilderness. Now I am not entirely alone here though, as I after Litlos and past Holken towards Ambjørsflott walks together with two other hikers that also stayed at Litlos. And shortly after, I meet a couple with a dog that has camped at Skadvatn. Shrouded across the mountains on the other hand is a pale veil, which makes the view mysterious and fablelike. A deserted heath where you can hear faeries, gnomes, creatures from the underground and other fairytales call, while trolls resounds in the misty background. Memories of a hike along the wall of Hadrian.
In the direction of Ambjørsflott, the landscape is covered by a pale veil, where fairy creatures calls upon you through the mystical weather.
When the veil is lifted, the green and pale scenery changes to a grey and rocky nature where darker clouds now takes place on the sky. Hårteigen with its characteristic shape is now looming to the west of me. The weather is so changing that it never makes me any wiser of it. About halfway to Besso, which I measure by meeting the first of the walkers coming from there, blue sky is again discernable between gloomy layers of clouds. Some of the hikers try out some throws with their fishing rods, but do not look to be successful.
Over towards Besso the path and the scenery becomes more and more rocky.
At one of the tops on Bismarhei there is a cairn, this might be just a small and insignificant summit, but up to the top I go anyway. It is usually always fun with this kind of detours. The top at 1445m has no problems providing good views in all directions, it is light overcast where I stand, slightly darker at some other places as I can see. This darkness should catch up with me after I have eaten lunch above Bessodalen, but in the outskirts of it, I only experience some light drizzle. Those I met that came from Besso, told me that it was supposed to be a thunderstorm in the evening. That is not good news, but the good news is that the forecast was for the western part. I go towards the eastern part, but I am not that comforted by it.
View of Hardangervidda from an unnamed top (1445m) at Bismarhei, Hårteigen to the right.
Sandhaug is also situated so that you see the cabin from far away before you get to it, but here you do get a better feeling of progress when you walk towards it. Behind me, it is pitch black, ahead of me, more pleasant. Above Nordmannslågen, you already see that the scenery is about to change, to become more flat and open.
Pitch black clouds are passing behind me, above Besso.
There are few people at Sandhaug by the look of it, a lot fewer than expected, given the number of people at Litlos, but it is possible that there are several who are resting at their rooms. They used to keep the beer glasses in the freezer before, a sneaky trick, but not anymore. I stay sitting in the lounge for well over one and a half hour, the beer is cold even without frozen glasses. I appreciate these small breaks inside the warmth, but I do want to go out again.
At the bridge crossing the Besso river.
When I leave Sandhaug it is a gloomy world I venture out into, grey and heavy clouds looming above me, but it does not rain. This time, I do not walk as long as I did when I took a break at Litlos, the clock has just passed seven o'clock when I close the door behind me, I stop walking just before the clock strikes eight. Then, I am at Reinsmyrtjørna and has found myself a nice campsite for the night. As expected, a small rainfall starts in the moment I am about to pitch my tent.
Dark clouds in the horizon on the other side of Nordmannslågen in the west.
Getting the tent up and standing goes quick this time and that is good. For in almost just the moment after I have got my backpack inside the outer tent and sat down underneath the canvas, the raindrops on the tent begin to pound harder. Then it sounds like there is a deluge outside, I am sure of that the raindrops now dances manically at the top of the tent. Inside the tent, this is just cozy, as long as the tent holds. Nothing else to do than to unpack my stuff, lie down and relax. Dinner has to wait.
One of several boardwalks you walk on before you get to Sandhaug.
After a while, the force of the rain diminishes, so I take the chance of getting out to prepare dinner. I manage to overturn the pot on the stove, so that all the water with my basis for the stew is spoiled on the ground. Rain begins to increase in intensity again. Fortunately, I had not put into the minced meat yet. The spaghetti I got hold of at Litlos to the rescue. For dinner I have pasta with minced meat, corn, pineapple and barley salad. Not so bad that either. I eat inside the tent, which probably was not the brightest of ideas I have had on my hike. Heat from the food forms condensation on the inside of the outer tent and it begins to drip. Luckily not in the part of the tent that is above the inner tent. Not too much either.
Reinsmyrtjørna, it is dark everywhere now.
Sleep gets me while the rain gently drums on the canvas, outside the inner tent mosquitos is buzzing
A small video from inside the tent when it rained as worst at Reinsmyrtjørna.
Map of the trail for the fourth day on Massiv, from Litlos to Reinsmyrtjørna.
<- Hårteigen - LitlosStigstu ->
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